Kofi Inkoom
76ers’ guard Tyrese Maxey won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, narrowly beating out Coby White of the Bulls.
Maxey secured 51 out of 99 initial votes, amassing a total of 319 voting points, while White trailed with 32 first-place votes and 305 points.
Alperen Sengun of the Rockets lagged behind in third place with eight first-place votes and 92 points. Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Jalen Brunson of the Knicks secured the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
In addition to Jalen Williams, his teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also earned recognition among the mentioned players.
Williams secured 79 points in the voting, including five first-place votes, 11 second-place votes, and 21 third-place votes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander managed to accumulate three points with a single second-place vote.
This outcome shouldn’t come as a surprise. Williams has flourished into one of the best young wings of the league, delivering an impressive scoring season.
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a contender for the MVP title. Together, they propelled the Thunder to the top seed with a remarkable record of 57-25, marking the youngest top-seeded team in NBA history.
This marks a significant leap from their performance last season, where they fell just short of making the playoffs by a single win.
Jalen Williams and the Thunder are currently 1-0 against the Pelicans and they continue their playoff run tomorrow.